Pink and Red Oozing Growth with Small Round Bumps Inside Dog's Ear

by Lianne
(Pittsburgh, PA)

Herbie, left ear growth

At my dog Herbie's last grooming they noticed a growth in his left hear near the opening to the ear canal. It was not noticed at the previous grooming which was in June, so it must have formed since then.

The growth is about the size of a Lima bean. The base is pink and flesh-like but the top is red with small round bumps that look like a red raspberry. It oozes slightly and a black crust forms on the surface that is easily removed.

It does not appear to bother him as he pays no attention to his ear.

Herbie is approximately four years old (rescued stray). He is a Corgi mix with long white fur. We live in the city so he does not get much exercise...one walk per day on most days. He eats Beneful dry dog food.

My vet says it could be a wart or cancer but says he will have to remove it under anesthesia in order to tell and that will cost about $450. I am disabled and can't afford that kind of money unless it's really necessary.

My question (my vet has not yet answered) is whether or not there are some preliminary, less costly things we can try? Can we treat it with OTC drugs as a wart and see if it responds? If not, couldn't a biopsy be done without general anesthesia?

The photo attached is not in good focus. It was hard to hold him and work the camera.

Hi Lianne,For this growth to have grown to the size of a lima bean in 3-4 months, and now has become ulcerated, I am concerned it is a mast cell tumor, not a wart. Mast cell tumors tend to proliferate and spread on the skin. Surgical removal can sometimes cause MORE to appear, even if the margins are 'clean'.

An impression smear, especially with an ulcerated growth as you showed in the photo, would work well to tell if this is a benign growth or a malignant tumor. It involves pressing a glass microscope slide flat against the surface of the growth. This is done in order to press cells from the mass onto the slide. When the slide is allowed to dry, then stained, and studied under the microscope, it will give the diagnosis.

I suggest seeking the help of a holistic veterinarian to treat Herbie. Explain that surgery is not an option, but be prepared to change Herbie's diet...

NO MORE VACCINATIONS. According to
Dr. Richard Pitcairn's book, Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, "Giving a vaccination to a dog with cancer, is like throwing gasoline onto a fire!" And even if Herbie does not have cancer, any growth or wart is considered to arise from vaccinosis. A syndrome in Holistic medicine that is due to vaccination.

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Nov 20, 2012

thanksby: Ned

A Wonderful and very detailed response from Dr. Tillman. Her response was much more detailed and helpful than we ever expected, especially for the low cost. It will help Lianne by saving her a great deal of initial expense and will help Herbie to recover sooner. I can't get over how reasonable it was to use this site. Wish we had heard about it long ago!

Apr 16, 2013

follow-up on Herbie's earby: Ned

It was removed surgically and the biopsy came back as benign although i don't have any more detail than that. He's doing well and so fare no other growths. Thanks for your concern.

Jun 08, 2013

Same thing- cured!(:by: Anonymous

My dog, baby had almost the exact same looking bump in her ear a few months ago. I took her to the vet the day I saw it & the vet told me that he had no idea what It could be without doing surgery which costs 900 dollars for her where I'm from(Mesa, Arizona).
So he gave me two types of pills to help it go away. If they didn't help her, then of course, we would've gone with the surgery.
So we give her the pills, & It was gone within the week. Baby is completely back to normal now except she has these bumps that rise from her skin at random times. They don't hurt her or anything.. They don't even itch. But the vet said he has no idea what those are either & to give her Benadryl.. Yeah, that doesn't help her at all so I stopped giving it to her. If your pup still has the problem then please Let me know & I can tell you. Thanks!(: & good luck!(:
-Brittaney.

Want monthly "News You Can Use"
and important Organic Pet Digest new content updates? Click
here to sign up for our FREE Dog Care Monthly
newsletter.

Do you believe in holistic pet care? If so, please tell your friends about us with a Facebook like, Google +1 or via Twitter, Pinterest, email or good old fashioned word of mouth. Thank you for supporting our efforts!

Disclaimers: The information contained in this web site is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as nor should be relied upon as medical advice. Rather, it is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a pet owner/site visitor and his/her local veterinarian(s). Before you use any of the information provided in the site, you should seek the advice of a qualified professional.

In the spirit of full
disclosure, we wanted to let you know that we proudly support this
website through advertising and affiliate marketing. In other words,
when you click on a link that takes you outside of this website, we
often earn a small commission. These small commissions allow us to keep
the site up and running and to continue offering it completely free of
charge to you. Rest assured that all content, recommendations and
advice are created before, and are independent of, any sponsorship or
affiliate relationship. Click
here for more info.

Sign up now to receive important Organic Pet Digest news and research updates...

Disclaimers: The information contained in this web site is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as nor should be relied upon as medical advice. Rather, it is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a pet owner/site visitor and his/her local veterinarian(s). Before you use any of the information provided in the site, you should seek the advice of a qualified professional.

In the spirit of full
disclosure, we wanted to let you know that we proudly support this
website through advertising and affiliate marketing. In other words,
when you click on a link that takes you outside of this website, we
often earn a small commission. These small commissions allow us to keep
the site up and running and to continue offering it completely free of
charge to you. Rest assured that all content, recommendations and
advice are created before, and are independent of, any sponsorship or
affiliate relationship. Click
here for more info.